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Hello all

Now I Normaly don't chime up and I love giving new games and debs a chance but is it just me or is this becoming common place where we are getting charged to try betas out as though we should pay money to test developers games.?

Though of late I have actualy found one game I.e firefall that is very enjoyable , I was still able to play it before throwing my hard earned dollars down . I think more and more games are saying come here and pay to be testers for our games. This is actualy pointed to neverwinter but a lot are taking this stature.

So my question is isn't it a little to ask a player to throw down 59$ to be a beta tester for a game that in the end you as des should be I tiding us to play.

I know gaming is a business but I think charging for half finished games that no one has access to is a little unfair thoughts?

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Originally posted by cyrician

Hello all

Now I Normaly don't chime up and I love giving new games and debs a chance but is it just me or is this becoming common place where we are getting charged to try betas out as though we should pay money to test developers games.?

Though of late I have actualy found one game I.e firefall that is very enjoyable , I was still able to play it before throwing my hard earned dollars down . I think more and more games are saying come here and pay to be testers for our games. This is actualy pointed to neverwinter but a lot are taking this stature.

So my question is isn't it a little to ask a player to throw down 59$ to be a beta tester for a game that in the end you as des should be I tiding us to play.

I know gaming is a business but I think charging for half finished games that no one has access to is a little unfair thoughts?

supply and demand. On one hand, if there were no people to beta test, companies would give away incentives for it. On the other hand, with so many people desperate to get into beta tests, it is not surprising that companies are able to use this in their favor.

Keep in mind that beta testing not only give people a sense of the game but also gives important advantages to the very competitive players, who will know a lot about the game by the time of actual launch.

For instance, on beta testing it would be possible to read the quest without rushing, that can be reserved by the time of launch in which the race for max level is always fierce.

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Before this post goes sideways id like to show what i meant.

At the end of the day a beta is exactly that a beta . I have no problem paying for full releases even ones with Subs , What the post is stating is that paying for a game you ahve never tried never even logged into should charge you $ for beta access witch manny of these Founders packs do .

NOW i have no issue at all paying for a founders pack after i ahve tested or played the game in question if i like it.

The thing that i object to is games that come out and say look at me come buy me even though you have no idea who or what i am or what i offer.

Doesnt that annoy others aswell?

Both firefall and rift people were able to play the games before the founders pack was introduced witch i have no issue with .

And at the end of the day the Consumer is the one with the power if you dont agree with this just look at how manny mmo's fail , Ratio is arround 1000 games made 1 succeeds.

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Originally posted by cyrician

Hello all

Now I Normaly don't chime up and I love giving new games and debs a chance but is it just me or is this becoming common place where we are getting charged to try betas out as though we should pay money to test developers games.?

This is indeed a hot new trend, and not one that I expect to go away. I think it is in fact an improvement over the old: Sell the game as P2P, and then convert to F2P after launch. It is at least more honest.

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Thank you to those few that responded with their opinions . It sadens me though those who were more interested in posting hostile responses to what I thought was a sharing of opinions .moderators please close this thread.

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Let's see: I can pay 10 bucks and play now, or I can hang around fansites for days hoping to snag a beta key. Hmmmm. If it's a game I'm very interested in, I'll usually pay. If it's a game I'm only casually following, I'll try to snag a key. In either case, I'm usually not regretting the decision. The biggest complaints I've seen on various forums happens when a game is delayed then a segment of the community freaks out and demands refunds and creates threads about it.

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Originally posted by DamonVileYou're not paying to test the game for them. You're paying to get early access and play the game long before it launches. All the people who act like they're doing the devs a favor are full of it.

Basically these companies know they can suck money out of alot of players....These companies know that gamers are extremely impatient and alot will pay for jsut about anything, even stuff they have no idea what they are getting......There are so many games out now I just don't see justification for paying for early access or beta testing anything.

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Originally posted by cyrician

Hello all

Now I Normaly don't chime up and I love giving new games and debs a chance but is it just me or is this becoming common place where we are getting charged to try betas out as though we should pay money to test developers games.?

Though of late I have actualy found one game I.e firefall that is very enjoyable , I was still able to play it before throwing my hard earned dollars down . I think more and more games are saying come here and pay to be testers for our games. This is actualy pointed to neverwinter but a lot are taking this stature.

So my question is isn't it a little to ask a player to throw down 59$ to be a beta tester for a game that in the end you as des should be I tiding us to play.

I know gaming is a business but I think charging for half finished games that no one has access to is a little unfair thoughts?

People keep paying for it so they will keep charging for it. When people go back to actually TESTING during a beta and companies see that people are wanting to improve the game and not just get a free trial or sneak peek then maybe companies will go back to the days of yore...

That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!

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Like all F2P models, you have the freedom to buy what you want, when you want, and how you want from the game's shop or however their matrix is laid out.

In the case of early access. it's not forced upon you. You can buy it or not buy it, but It's a proven viable and method of garnering income... brought to you by ANet and GW2's beta release.... now an expected part of a game's release.

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Nobody's forcing anyone to pay money to get preferential treatment for getting into a beta. You can register your interest and hope for an invite the same as it's always been usually.

However, IMHO people paying for a pre-order in order to get guaranteed beta access are likely to take the actual testing much more seriously than someone who applies for every beta test going just because they get to play a game for free. That in itself must be a very attractive proposition for a games maker. I've paid for pre-orders for quite a few games now knowing that as well as a head start, I'll get guaranteed beta access. I'm quite happy with that deal as I would have bought the game eventually anyway, but it's got me in quicker. I can't think of anytime I've done it and regretted it yet.

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Like all F2P models, you have the freedom to buy what you want, when you want, and how you want from the game's shop or however their matrix is laid out.

In the case of early access. it's not forced upon you. You can buy it or not buy it, but It's a proven viable and method of garnering income... brought to you by ANet and GW2's beta release.... now an expected part of a game's release.

Roll with the changes, friend.

Are you talking about the headstart or the beta now? -Because the headstart is not the same as beta.

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been-Wayne Gretzky

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Originally posted by cyrician

Before this post goes sideways id like to show what i meant.

At the end of the day a beta is exactly that a beta . I have no problem paying for full releases even ones with Subs , What the post is stating is that paying for a game you ahve never tried never even logged into should charge you $ for beta access witch manny of these Founders packs do .

NOW i have no issue at all paying for a founders pack after i ahve tested or played the game in question if i like it.

The thing that i object to is games that come out and say look at me come buy me even though you have no idea who or what i am or what i offer.

Doesnt that annoy others aswell?

Both firefall and rift people were able to play the games before the founders pack was introduced witch i have no issue with .

And at the end of the day the Consumer is the one with the power if you dont agree with this just look at how manny mmo's fail , Ratio is arround 1000 games made 1 succeeds.

This is just ridiculous. Let me ask you this? Do you own a PS3 or an Xbox? Do you own any other gaming systems? I do, and guess what? I never get to "test" a game before I buy it. I buy it and if I don't like it, I have to decide what to do with it. When you go to buy a grill, do you get to take it home and test it first to make sure you like it? Or do you just buy it? I have never walked into a store and said, "I'd like to purchase this object... however, I have no idea what it is or what it offers, so I'd like to take it home and play with it to decide if I like it".... why should games be any different?

If you have no idea what the game is or what it offers, why would you buy it or even want to participate in the beta? As a "consumer" it's your job to research a product before you buy it. With games, you have absolutely no excuse for not doing the research. It's out there. Reviews, previews, youtube forum sites, etc. It's the same with any product you buy. Do the research and decide if you want it.

I hope more companies move to this strategy. At the present, the majority of people treat betas like free previews of the game and have absolutely no intrest in actually helping. They just want to play a game for free. So... do the research on the game, if you decide you want to help the developer, buy the game and get in there an get your hands dirty to help them make it better. I mean, if you really believe in the game they're making and you've done the research, what's the issue? You were gonna buy it anyway. Except now, for your support, you get to participate in the beta and help them improve the experience.

Also... please describe how you came up with this "ratio" of 1000 to 1 for games that "fail". I'm dying to see the math there...

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If the game is fun, I'm willing to pay something for it. Beta or not.

Now, if there is going to be a beta wipe, I'm probably not as willing to throw money at it. Just being honest, but I hate seeing character progression thrown out the window. I usually won't play much in beta if that is going to happen (low time investment) - hence, I'm not terribly willing to spend any cash investment either.

Firefall - I like the game. Well enough to have bought a Founders pack. I hope it does well.

As far as the model goes - I don't know. Firefall is at the point where there will be no ~huge~ changes in mechanics, it's mostly just adding content and squishing bugs, so I can understand the no beta wipe, and am perfectly fine having paid for it. There are a lot of people on all the time (even without open beta weekends), so it feels "released". I consider it "released" and B2P with free trial weekends, similar to the ArenaNet model - because that's really what it is if you think about it. Some people are lucky enough to have straight beta invites, and can get in without the Founders package, and I'm fine with that too - the Founders packs give enough cash shop cash that you can use to unlock garage slots (to keep access to different classes) to make it convenient enough to make it worth while for me, and people with free access are either limited to 2 frames at a time, or are going to pay for cash shop access themselves, so it isn't a big deal.

However, there are a lot of variables there, and if many/any of them were different, I don't know that I would feel the same way about it.

If there were a heavier leaning on the cash shop (or if it were P2W), I'd be turned off.If there were a beta wipe, I'd be turned off.If the mechanics weren't fun or where terribly broken, I'd be turned off.If the game were a ghost town, I'd be turned off.If the developers weren't continuing to progress with fixes and content, I'd be turned off.

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Originally posted by AeonbladesYes, it is stupid to charge someone for a beta, but you don't have to buy it. GW2 and several other recent releases have given companies shit ideas, but just remember, You don't have to buy it!

It is not stupid. More power to devs if they can make money off beta.

I wouldn't pay for a beta .. but it is a free world. It is their beta, and they can do whatever they want including charging an arm an a leg.

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Originally posted by cyrician

Before this post goes sideways id like to show what i meant.

At the end of the day a beta is exactly that a beta . I have no problem paying for full releases even ones with Subs , What the post is stating is that paying for a game you ahve never tried never even logged into should charge you $ for beta access witch manny of these Founders packs do .

NOW i have no issue at all paying for a founders pack after i ahve tested or played the game in question if i like it.

The thing that i object to is games that come out and say look at me come buy me even though you have no idea who or what i am or what i offer.

Doesnt that annoy others aswell?

Both firefall and rift people were able to play the games before the founders pack was introduced witch i have no issue with .

And at the end of the day the Consumer is the one with the power if you dont agree with this just look at how manny mmo's fail , Ratio is arround 1000 games made 1 succeeds.

Trion sold beta access to Storm Legion. ANet sold access to GW2. It's just what companies are doing now and it isn't a F2P only thing. I don't like it either, but then I don't have to buy access.

I'm still a game tester and haven't bought access to those tests. If a studio wants testers and I apply and get in then great. If I don't and they want to sell access then that's their choice too.